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APPLE MAGGOT FOUND IN EDMONTON

OTTAWA, October 18, 2005 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the apple maggot in several locations within the City of Edmonton and is therefore asking residents to help prevent its spread by picking up and disposing of fallen apples.

Sanitation is the key to reducing the number of apple maggots in the area. Removal and disposal of fallen apples prevents the apple maggot from burrowing into the ground and pupating in the soil.

The CFIA is also asking the public not to move host plants with soil or backyard apples into B.C. Major apple-producing areas in B.C. are currently free of apple maggot. If the apple maggot is introduced into the province, it could present a serious threat to the apple industry. The apple maggot causes damage to apples, rendering them unmarketable, however the pest poses no threat to human health. There is little trade of fresh apples and host plants from Alberta to B.C., so the risk of the pest spreading through this means is low, however it is very important to observe all precautions.

Nurseries from known infested areas must contact CFIA for inspection and movement requirements.

The apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) is a quarantine pest in Canada, and until this finding, Alberta has been free of apple maggot. The principal hosts in Edmonton are backyard apple and crabapple trees; however, it also occasionally attacks plum, cherry, peach, pear and hawthorn trees. Biological surveys will be conducted in Alberta in 2006 to determine the extent of the apple maggot infestation.

For more information on apple maggot, please contact the CFIA Edmonton Office at (780) 495-3333, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. For general information on the apple maggot, please visit the CFIA's website at www.inspection.gc.ca.

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